1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a supplemental restraint assembly for protecting vehicle occupants and more particularly to a headliner based supplemental restraint assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air bags mounted in an instrument panel or steering wheel to protect an occupant from a front impact have become well-known in the automotive industry. Numerous variations of these air bags, deployment systems and housing devices have evolved over the years.
Side impact air bag systems are also known in the art. These side impact air bags are often mounted adjacent the vehicle's roof rail, doorframe or center pillars, or in some instances within the side door. For example, it is known to provide air bags that have upper head and torso protection that simultaneously inflate from the vehicle door, roof rail or seat to protect the vehicle occupant during side impact or roll over events.
It is also known in the prior art to provide longitudinally extending rigid inflatable tubes that extend across a selected area of the vehicle between the vehicle pillars. It has also been suggested to provide a side head air bag with a plurality of vertically extending inflatable cells.